(I wrote this post last night.)
Only 4 more days to go until National Blog Posting Month is over. So far I've skipped two recipes, but have managed to post everyday. I haven't found it to be too much of a burden, but deciding which recipes to share has been a little tough.
As I type this, Wallie is in bed coughing. Sick. Crying. Trying to sleep. So not happy. It makes me wish that three-year-olds could eat dak yukgaejang or tom yum or pho with fresh chiles. Some probably can, just not my little sensitive girl.
Before going to sleep she requested one of her favorite breakfasts: ochazuke. It's essentially green tea poured over rice to which savory things like seaweed or small rice crackers are added. It's a dish I grew up eating, usually when I needed to settle my stomach, but I associate it with being sick and needing comfort.
You can make it from scratch simply from steamed short-grain rice (cooked in a rice cooker) and a fresh pot of green tea. Then add Japanese cucumber pickles or umeboshi plums, leftover flaked salmon or raw tuna slices, shiso leaves and seaweed "sprinkles" to your taste. Or you can do what I do most often and that is to buy an instant ochazuke mix and add your own hot water or tea.
Ochazuke mixes can be found at any Japanese store (like Nijika) or at places like Uwajimaya, Daiso or Ichiban-kan. I usually buy the Nagatanien brand easily recognizable by its distinctive color-blocked packaging, but I like to experiment with other brands (Hello Kitty anyone?), too. My favorite flavors are ume, nori, and wasabi.
Now I'm off to put some rice in the cooker so it's hot for tomorrow's breakfast, and I hope that sometime soon Wallie is able to sleep.
[photo from japanizing.blogspot.com]
